On the northeast corner of Northern Blvd. and the Clearview Expressway in Bayside is a green area where the Soldier’s Monument proudly stands. The monument commemorates the sacrifices that our brave men and women made serving in the armed forces during wartime.

Unfortunately, this green area is frequently littered. Recently, I picked up a bag of cups, remains of lunches and other bits and pieces of debris that some people thoughtlessly left behind near this symbol of honor. I thought how disgraceful this special site should be befouled with garbage, this site where we should be remembering and respecting our fallen heroes.

This is not the first time I stopped to pick up litter there. There used to be a litter basket by the bus stop in front of the monument, but it is gone. Again. My understanding is that the Sanitation Department keeps taking the baskets away because people keep putting household garbage in them. But is it better to take away the baskets and have litter left on the ground by the monument and other areas? It does not make sense to me.

Litter baskets along much of Northern Blvd. keep getting removed. So where does the debris go? It goes in the streets or is left on the sidewalks or it clogs the catch basins or it lands in green areas. I walk a lot and I have been astonished at the amount of litter that I see on my travels of late.

It is time for all of us to be more cognizant about these problems. If you have litter, please dispose of it properly. Please pick up after your pet like most owners do. Sanitation also has to improve its efforts in confronting this issue.

All members of the community, including businesses, should do their part in keeping their neighborhood litter free and beautiful.